New Ulm weekly review., 1887-02-23

4 scSsASAy SOv0t 5OAl0 V1oEs t11fU N6O QuL8 ueC
pilot aboarda q steamer which was;
waiting on, tfiss the outside to enter!
The captain having been up all the
previous night, went to his cabin and
turned in,for the night. The passen-
gers were all either sea-sick or chilled
by the cold wi11d, and had gone to
their rooms and into the cabin. The
wheelman, by orders from Durham,
made out Cape Disappointment and
Tillamook Head, and took his ranges
from them and put the ship on her
course. He had only time to do this
when asfog rolled up, 50 dense that
even the light on Cape Disappoint-
ment could scarcely be seen. Dunham
assured, himself that the ship was on
the right course by going into the
wheelhouse and looking for himself.
Having done this, and knowing
the coast perfectly, he felt
pretty safe. He was little
confused and nervous, however, and
so he went down to the cabin and
overhauled his charts, and read the
sailing directions just as though he
had never made the trip before. He
seemed to be all right. Bring your
vessel In range with Cape Disappoint-
ment and Tillamook Head, and then
put her about south by east" He
had done this fifty times before. and
had come out all right. To be sure
that no mistake had Teen made, he
climbed up to the el-house, and
/ quietly asked the man at the wheel
how he got his range. He answered
promptly and satisfactorily. Every
thing was according to orders. So
Dunham cursed his nervousness, and
walked back to the smoke.stack.
The wind had gone down with the
sun, but q heavy sea was running, and
1T was as dark as Tartarus. Dunham
paced the deck for halt an hour. then
went below to get his cloak. Being
chilly, he went up to the hurricane
deck and sat with his back to the
smoke-stack. Being nervous, he lit a
cigar. Being careful, he walked for
ward to see how things were moving.
He thought he heard q distant roar.
He listened, and could hear nothing.
He walked back to the smoke-stack..
In ten minutes he came forward again.
He thought he heard the roar OF the
surf. He called to the man at the
wheel:
"Abbott!"
SAY, ay, sir."
How does she stand?"
"Sou' by east, sir"
That was all right; that was the
course Dunham had put her on.
He went to the paddle-box and sig
nailed the engine to stop. Then he called
man and had the lead thrown.
'Twenty-four. Plenty of water" Dun
ham thought, and started the engine.
He thenwent to the captain cabin and
Knocked. The captain did not hear
the first time, but he knocked again.
"Who's there? ;
s"The mate.''
The captain opened port near the
head of his berth, and asked him what
the matter was. Dunham reported.
The captain told him it was all right;
that it was foggy, and the roar OF the.
surf with such a sea on and no wind
could be heard ten miles. Durham
rather thought so, too, and went
away. During this parley, and while
the mate stopped a few minutes to-
look after things below, the ship had
v.
BY the time Dunham got on deck
again the roar of the surf was fright
ful. He fairly screamed at the helms,
| man:
"Abbott!"
cay, ay, sir.
"How's her head?"
"Sou' by east, sir.
Amazing! Durham ran to the pad
dle-box and jerked a signal. The en-
CINE stopped. Then he rushed to the
captains door and called him out in
the name of the gods. Both flew on
deck. There was no mistake about
it; there were the breakers not half a
mile ahead, Judging by the sound.
Durham had almost run the ships
head on the shore, and that, too,
when she was holding precisely the
same course by compass that he had
put her on fifty times before.
The captain roared: "What's her
course?
"Sou' by east, SIR
"Put her SOU west"
"Sou'we sir echoed the man at
the wheel, and the wheel spun round
OAlu Uiio CuttAilS IdItiou. lQ0 captain
rushed to the signal-bell and started
the engine, and got the ship under
good steering headway. Scarcely had
she started on her new course when a
scraping sound was heard and felt
tf.en bump, bump, bump, as though
the ship had been lifted up and set
down hard three times; then q crash
and sudden stop that sent the cap
tain and mate on their faces, and
brought the smoke-stacks crashing
through the decks, and snapped off
the topmasts like pipe-stems. The
ship had struck q sunken rock, and
began to fill at once.
Who got to shore and how they
got to shore, matters not. It is the
same old story. The news spread on
wings. Men came and dragged the
swollen corpses OF their friends out OF
the surf, or dug them out Of the sand,
or Unidentified them in the shed, or